Razor blade dispenser



Sept. 4, 1962 B. A. HOLOHAN RAZOR BLADE DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, 1959 FIG. 4

INVENTOR. Barrholomew A. Holohan 7 ATTORNEY Sept. 4, 1962 B. A. HOLOHAN RAZOR BLADE DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Filed Feb. 26, 1959 FIG.6

JNVENTOR. Bariholomew A. Holohan ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 4, 1962 3,052,374 RAZOR BTJABTE DTSPZENSER Bartholomew A. Holohan, Little Neel-r, N.Y., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Club Razor Qorporation, Newark, N .11, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 795,793 4 Claims. (Cl. 221-59) This invention relates to magazines for razor blades or the like, and more particularly, to a novel magazine of this type arranged to contain a plurality of blades separated by paper strips acting as lubricators and in which all of the blades are removed from the same end of the magazine.

The modern trend in dispensing razor blades is to sell packages of such blades in magazines of relatively rigid material such as metal or plastic composition materials. This magazine contains springs normally maintaining the blades engaged with one or more lugs extended through the blade slots. Most present magazines are relatively complicated in that the blades must be alternately removed from opposite ends of the magazine, which requires that the blades be so placed that arrows imprinted thereon indicate the removal direction. In addition, should the magazine be subjected to moisture, the blades tend to become rusted or stuck together.

In accordance with the present invention, a novel magazine is provided in which paper strips are disposed between adjacent blades. The magazine includes a pair of posts or pins or the like engaged through holes in the paper strips so that these latter are permanently held in the magazine. Also, the paper strips have cut-outs corresponding in size and location to the usual access opening for placing a finger against a blade so that normally the paper strips are invisible.

The magazine comprises a first casing section having side walls, one end wall, and an outer wall, the end wall being of slightly less height than said side walls and the outer edges of the latter curving toward the outer wall at the open end of the section. The outer edges of the side walls are rabbetted at their inner corners except at their curved portions, and the inner surfaces of the side walls have pairs of recesses opening into the rabbeted corners, there being lips on the outer edges overlying these recesses. Near the open end of this casing section, the outer wall has a preferably oval blade access opening, and a pair of laterally spaced pins project from the inner surface of the outer wall inwardly of the inner end of the recess. The end of the outer wall adjacent the open end of the casing section is curved inwardly somewhat and thinned.

A second casing section is cooperable with the first casing section and comprises an outer wall which is substantially flat and is curved inwardly at one end to conform to the outer edges of the side walls of the first casing section, the flat part of this wall setting into the rabbetted corners of the side walls of the first section. Ribs adjacent each outer edge of this second section outer wall engage the inner surfaces of the side walls of the first section. The outer surface of the outer Wall of the second casing section is provided, along each side edge, with a pair of recesses receiving the lips of the first casing section.

The curved portion of the outer wall of the second section is formed with a central lug, of substantial longitudinal extent, projecting to within about 0.005" of the outer wall of the first section when the sections are assembled. The free end of this lug has a rearward extension with a bevelled edge facing the second casing section.

In assembling the blade package, a stack of alternated blades and paper strips is placed into the first casing section with the pins or posts extending through holes in the paper strips and the usual reduced ends of the blades extending between the posts to position the blades longitudinally of the casing. A metal plate, having holes receiving the pins and a slot receiving the lug is placed over the stack and a longitudinally bowed spring has its ends set onto this plate.

he spring has a notch in its forward end adapted to embrace the lug on the second casing section, the rear end of the spring engaging the posts or pins. The depth of the notch in the spring controls the flexibility of the latter. The spring extends the full width of the first casing section.

The first casing section is then snapped into the rabbetted grooves, the lug entering the slots in the metal plate and the blades, and the notch in the spring. The ribs on the second casing section engage the bowed surface of the spring to compress the latter somewhat.

To remove a blade, pressure is exerted against the blade exposed at the access opening to move this blade toward the casing open end. The 0.005" clearance above the lug permits the blade to pass the latter. As the blade is moved outwardly, the curved or bevelled Wall of the first casing section deflects the blade downwardly, so that the blade remains in guiding engagement with the lug. Such blade deflection continues for successive blades until the stack is substantially reduced. The remaining blades then may be moved outwardly in an orientation parallel to the outer casing walls and in guiding engagement with the lug.

Used blades are inserted through an opening formed conjointly by a recess in the rear end of the second casing wall and the relatively reduced height of the first casing end wall.

For an understanding of the invention principles, r ference is made to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the magazine;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the blade exit end of the magazine;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the cover;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the base as inverted;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the metal pressure plate;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the spring; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view of one of the paper separator strips.

Referring to the drawings, the magazine includes a cover or top member or casing section 10, a base or bottom member or casing section 20, a pressure plate 30, and a spring 35. Sections 10 and 20 are formed of any suitable relatively rigid and somewhat springy material, such as metal or plastic, while plate 30 and spring 35 are metal.

As shown more particularly in FIGS. 1-6, section 10 includes a flat wall portion 11 formed with an oval access opening 15 having rounded edges. The blade exit end of wall 11 is thinned and curved slightly inwardly at an angle of about 20 degrees, the extreme edge having laterally spaced recesses 12 which act to protect the blade edges as the blades are ejected from the magazine. Extending from Wall 11 are parallel side walls 13, having inwardly curved forward outer edges 14, and an end wall 16. Just rearwardly of opening 15, a pair of pins 17 project from wall 11, these pins having a lateral spacing just in excess of the width of the customary reduced end of a blade. Pins 17 thus serve to locate the blades longitudinally of the magazine. The inner corners of wall 13 are rabbeted or grooved, as at 31, the groove in each wall having a pair of lugs 33 projecting thereover.

Section 20 includes a main wall 21 arranged to seat in groove 31, and curved, as at 22 to conform to the curved edges 14 of walls 13, wall 21 thus lying in the grooves 31. Each edge of wall 21 has a pair of recesses 32 arranged to receive lips or lugs 33 when wall 21 is snapped into grooves 31. The rear edge of wall 21 is feathered, as at 24, and formed with a recess 23 cooperable with a recess 18 in wall 16 to form an opening for insertion of used razor blades.

Adjacent its side edges, wall 21 has ribs 28 projecting inwardly therefrom to lie against walls 13 below grooves 31. These ribs also seat spring 35, as will be described. A projection or lug 25 extends inwardly from wall 21 just rearwardly of curved portion 22, and is laterally centered. Projection 25 is L-shape, being formed with a first surface substantially parallel to the inner surface of sction 1t), and a rearwardly extending arm 26 having a sloping second guide surface 27 adjacent wall 11. In the assembled magazine, the edge of arm 26 parallel to and nearest wall 11 is spaced from wall 11 by about 0.005".

Before assembly of section 20 to ,section 10, the latter is inverted and a stack of razor blades 40, having reduced ends 41 and slots 42, and paper separator strips 45 are placed in alternation in section 10 with the reduced outer ends 41 extending between posts 17. As best seen in FIG. 10, strips 45 have holes 47 receiving posts 17 and have U-shape recesses 46 in their forward edges conforming to opening 15. Strips 45 terminate somewhat short of the forward ends of blades 40. The stack of alternating blades and strips is placed directly against wall 11 and, in a typical example, 2t} or 25 blades may be included in the stack.

It will be noted that, contrary to the usual practice, the stack of blades and paper strips does not rest on positioning lugs on wall 11, or on lugs or a rim around opening 15, but directly engages wall 11. This not only simplifies formation of member 10, but also provides a more extended bearing surface during ejection of the blades.

Plate 30, best seen in FIG. 8, is then placed on the blades with holes 36 receiving pins 17 and slot 37 aligned with the slots in blades 40. Then bowed spring is placed on top of plate 30 with its rear edge engaging posts 17 and its slot 34 aligned with slot 37. The length and width of slot 34 controls the flexibility of spring 35. With slot 34- toward the front, the spring tension toward the forward ends of the blades is increased relative to the spring tension toward the rear ends. The spring as a whole is nearer the rear end of the blade and Strip stack than it is to the front end thereof, thus pressing the stack toward wall 11 as a blade is slid out of the front end of the magazine.

Following positioning of spring 35, side walls 13 are spread slightly and section 20 is snapped into place in grooves 31 with lips 33 engaging in recesses 32. Ribs 23 bear against the edges of the convex surface of spring 35, thus maintaining the spring pressure on the stack. Lug or book 25 enters .slot 37 and the slots in blades 40 and, depending on the compression of spring 35, may also enter partly into slot or notch 34.

To eject a blade, pressure is exerted on the blade through opening 15, and the blade is slid forwardly. During this movement, the front end of the blade engages and moves along the curved surface of wall 11, tilting the blade so that it remains engaged with lug 25. The rear end of the blade slot rides along bevelled surface 27 and then over the surface of arm 26 parallel to wall 11.

The thickness of the paper strips is 0.004". Thus each time a blade is removed, the minimum distance of the remaining blades from wall 11 is increased by 0.004. As a result, after the first 3 or 4 blades are ejected, the blades are no longer tilted by the curved end of wall 11. The guidance of the blades, by lug 25 with respect to lateral centering, increases as more blades are ejected. The cutout portions, or U-shape recesses 4-6 of strips 45, permit the reduced rear ends of the blades to pass between arm 26 and wall 11 as the blades are ejected.

The L-shape of lug 25 provides .suificient room for used blades to be fully inserted into the magazine, the used blades being contained between the convex surface of spring 35 and the inner surface of wall 21.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A razor blade dispensing magazine comprising, in combination, disengageably interconnected casing sections cooperably providing a pair of spaced walls, parallel over a substantial portion of their length, and arranged to form a blade discharge opening at a forward end of the magazine, one section having a substantially flat wall with an access opening therein; a pair of posts on the inner surface of said one section rearwardly of said access opening and laterally spaced to receive the reduced end of a blade thcrebetween to locate the blade in the magazine; the inner surface of said one section being substantially smooth, except for said posts, to provide a smooth bearing surface for blades being discharged; the inner surface of the other section having a lug projecting therefrom intermediate said discharge and access openings for engagement in the usual central slots of the blades, said lug including a rearwardly extending arm having a first surface substantially parallel to the inner surface of said one section and spaced therefrom by an amount only slightly in excess of the thickness of a blade; a second surface of said arm sloping rearwardly away from the inner surface of said one section; the inner surface of said one section, forwardly of said lug, extending inwardly, at a small angle, to form an edge of said discharge opening spaced substantially inwardly of said substantially parallel surface of said lug; a stack of blades positioned in said magazine against said smooth inner surface and with their reduced ends between said posts and said lug engaged in their slots for lateral guiding and positioning of said blades; paper separator strips disposed between the blades and each having a pair of holes receiving said posts; the forward ends of said strips terminating intermediate the ends of said access opening and having recesses conforming to the margin of said access opening; and spring means engaged between said other section and said blades and pressing said blades toward said one section; said blades being discharged by pressing the blade, exposed through said access opening, inwardly and forwardly, and, during discharge of the first few blades, the forward end of each blade being discharged riding inwardly along the inwardly extending part of the inner surface of said one section to tilt the blade to maintain the latter in guiding engagement with said lug as the rear end of such blade rides between said lug and the inner surface of said one section; said strips being retained in said magazine and, after the first few blades have been discharged, forming a bearing surface for the blades suificiently thick that the remaining blades, during discharge, are not tilted by engagement with the inner surface of said one section.

2. A magazine as claimed in claim 1 including a metal pressure plate between said spring means and said blades and having a pair of holes engaged with said posts and a slot receiving said lug.

3. A magazine as claimed in claim 2 in which the clearance between said lug and said one section is of the order of 0.005" and the thickness of said strips is of the order of 0.004".

4. A magazine as claimed in claim 2 in which said spring means comprises a bowed spring having a convex surface; laterally spaced ribs on the inner surface of said other section engaged by said convex surface; said spring having ends engaging said pressure plate, the forward end of said spring being centrally notched to increase the flexibility thereof relative to the rear end of the spring References Cite-d in the file of this patent and to embrace said lug; the rear end of said spring 10 2,870,905

engaging said posts.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Testi Aug. 13, 1946 Steinbach Feb. 17, 1948 Metzler Feb. 16, 1954 Shintzler Oct. 26, 1954 Shintzler May 3, 1955 Holohan Jan. 27, 1959 

